How accurate is Birdsong's bird identifier?

It runs Google's Perch, a research-grade acoustic model covering nearly 15,000 species. When a call is ambiguous, we say so honestly and let you record a second clip to confirm, rather than guessing.

Is my recording stored?

No. Your audio is used to identify the bird in the moment and isn't saved to our servers. The birds you confirm are kept as cards in your own field journal; the recordings themselves are not.

Is the bird identifier free?

Yes — identify birds every day for free, no account required. Birdsong Pro ($3.99/mo or $39.99/yr) unlocks unlimited IDs, full field guides, your growing collection, and shareable Field Report cards.

Do I need an account or internet to identify a bird?

You'll need a connection to identify, since the AI runs in the cloud. No account is needed to try it — sign in with Google or email to save your field journal and sync it across devices.

Birdsong field guide

Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel

Hydrobates furcatus

A small, uniquely pale-gray seabird of the North Pacific characterized by its deeply forked tail and light, erratic flight.

What it sounds like

A series of high-pitched, squeaky whistles and twittering notes, primarily vocalized at nesting colonies during the night.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

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Rec. Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site seabird research group · CanadaCC BY-NC-ND Xeno-canto

Field notes

It is the only storm-petrel species with predominantly pearly-gray plumage instead of the typical dark brown or black.
Equipped with an exceptional sense of smell, it can locate oily prey and find its nesting burrow in total darkness.
They frequently follow ships to scavenge offal and are known to patter their feet on the water's surface while feeding.
It is the most northerly breeding member of its family, often nesting in subarctic and cold-temperate environments.
Chicks are fed a nutrient-dense stomach oil derived from digested marine organisms, which adults also use as a defensive spray.

Habitat

Pelagic open ocean and continental shelf; nests in burrows or rocky crevices on offshore islands.

Range

North Pacific Ocean, ranging from Japan and the Russian Far East across the Aleutians to the coast of California.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Ainley's Storm-PetrelHydrobates cheimomnestes Ashy Storm-PetrelHydrobates homochroa Band-rumped Storm-PetrelHydrobates castro Black Storm-PetrelHydrobates melania Cape Verde Storm-PetrelHydrobates jabejabe European Storm-PetrelHydrobates pelagicus Guadalupe Storm-PetrelHydrobates macrodactylus Leach's Storm-PetrelHydrobates leucorhous

Heard a Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel?

Open Birdsong, tap record, and identify the bird singing near you in seconds — then collect it in your field journal.

Identify a bird by its song